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3 Dignified IT Careers Apart from Programming Ė IT isnít All About Coding

Many students who are planning to step in to an IT career after their studies are now confused about which area to choose. Many are still in an assumption that IT is all about strenuous coding, and a few don’t think they can make good programmers with less logical aptitude. With the feat or coding jobs, they opt for BPO and other basic back office jobs. However, you should know that IT is not all about programming / coding, you have plenty of options in IT. Here we will discuss about three dignified IT careers, which doesn’t require you to be a coder.

I. Software Tester

There are plenty of myths revolving around pursuing software testing as a successful career – However, now it is a really challenging career path on par with software programming in terms of both compensation and career growth. The changing market trends, increased demand for quality everything contributes to the need for specialized professional testers to take up their unique role in development.

Unlike olden times, most organizations now recognize software testing as an independent professional discipline. Now, Software Testing not only brings in transparency and objectivity with defect reporting, but also enhances the overall business strategy. Over the last several years, Software testing has undergone huge changes with shifts in technology, methodology, and business dynamics.

Reassuring fact for Indian youth is that the now Indian software testing industry grabs a market share of 50% of global outsourced testing market. There is a huge leap expected in this scenario as per the IDC Projections.

Testing as a career option

The myth is now broken that a tester has only limited role to play in software industry. Opening a window of opportunity to those who stand away from sit-back coding and development; software testing demands a different set of skills and aptitude to go hand-in-hand with development endeavors. You need not be a coding expert or have high logic as of a developer to become a tester; but need to have a keen eye on quality.

“Software testers are professional investigators”

In Agile development model, software tester gets involved right from the project inception and plays vital till the end point. Being a tester, apart from a great career which can ensure your growth and compensation; you also will also get multiple opportunities to work at a wide spectrum of technologies and domains.

How to get into testing career?

A typical path for a test engineer is to start as a junior test engineer to become a senior test engineer > test analyst > test lead > QA manager > program manager > COE head and so on.

A web designer works to design websites and associated applications. Web designers can work in various industries and also as independent contractors or freelancers. Anyone from any educational background can become a creative web designer now by getting in-depth knowledge and skills about designing concepts and computer-based designing tools. However, having knowledge of web development concepts will be an added value to designers to become a complete web developer.

Job Market

There is a hype in web development and designing and the job market is showing a 20% steady growth in the need for web designers, which is expected to be so for the next decade.

Job

A web designer is one who creates the look, feel, logo, layout and other user interface features of a website. Generally they do;

Writing & editing content.

Designing web page layout.

Determining the technical requirements.

Updating the web sites.

Creating all back up files.

Fundamentals of design imaging.

Animation.

Multimedia design.

Current Scenario

Web designers are having a good time now as the need of the industry now is responsive web pages. As almost everything in the world now happens through internet and in turn web pages, those who can create it in a really alluring and user-friendly manner are in high demand.

Am I designer stuff?

If you have a basic interest in design, good color and space sense, lot of ideas, and the patience to sit back and develop user-friendly and attractive pages, you are of course designer stuff to choose web designing as your career.

SEO or otherwise Search Engine Optimization is a truly new-generation career, which is aimed to make use of the possibilities of internet and online promotions for marketing businesses and services. With majority of the consumers making their purchases online or at least purchasing decisions through internet, SEO puts forth a huge opportunity to businesses to showcase themselves at the best position in search engine listing.

Basically SEO is all about showing a particular website on top of the listing (1st rank or 1st page) of Google, Bing, Yahoo and other major search engines. There are several techniques and technologies used for online promotions using SEO, and one who has an in-depth knowledge in this area is a highly sought after professional lately.

Choosing SEO as Your Career;

SEO was not a unique profession until recent time and web masters used to do some basic SEO work while the site was being launched. But as of late sites began to grow in enormous amount and started making money, people started hiring dedicated SEO specialists. The demand for good SEO experts is constantly on the rise now. Specialist SEO’s are rare in the market now and making real good money.

Nowadays, the sites are deigned itself as SEO friendly, so those who are good at both web designing and SEO become a double-value professional. However, there are no fixed rules in SEO, which keep on changing based on the changing algorithms of different search engines. So, SEO Expert’s job is really challenging with the need to keep on updating your knowledge and skills from time to time, and for a client SEO is a continuous effort to be pursued. The career demands patience, innovative ideas, and a strategic approach to survive.

Am I an SEO stuff?

SEO is of course an add-on skill for the web designers and developers. If you have a good aptitude for internet-based market, is passionate about social networking and online promotions, and have innovative ideas or presenting things differently and attractively, SEO is an excellent career to choose. Remember you need patience and persistence to become a good SEO expert.

To choose any of the above three as your career choice, you need to get some basic knowledge and skills in the technologies mentioned. This can be attained through a good on-job offered by industry-associated training programs like STEPS.